Hello readers! I'm picnic_bomber and my favorite Magic: the Gathering card of all time is Lingering Souls. Why? I don't know really, it just is. Well, maybe because discarding it to Liliana of the Veil is just so much value. Or maybe looting it with Smuggler's Copter feels THAT good. Listen, what I'm trying to say is: when I got back to this damned card game three years ago, I devoted myself to the Copter Squad and swore to ride it to the top of the Modern metagame. While I'm not there yet, I think I'm doing well. Like, "beating tier-1 decks"-well. Here's the list:
So let's start from the core of the deck. The plan is to protect the Copter and gain incremental value while hindering our opponents'. To do so we use "smart" creatures: Tidehollow Sculler takes removal spells or any key piece to the OP's plan directly from their hand, so that we can animate our Copter without worries; Tithe Taker is especially good here for two reasons: it protects the Copter from instants, which is the only way to interact with it while animated, while also leaving behind a 1/1 flying body when killed Giver of Runes is great in conjunction with the Sculler, not only protecting every other body on our side of the field but also helping keeping up the pressure;
Next, the card advantage: Lingering Souls creates up to four bodies and the ability to flashback it for 1B plays really well with the looting ability of the Copter; Battle Screech is basically Souls copies 5-8, just needs a little more work to flash it back.
4x Giver of Runes
4x Tidehollow Sculler
4x Tithe Taker
Artifacts:
4x Smuggler's Copter
Instants and Sorceries:
4x Inquisition of Kozilek
2x Fatal Push
2x Path to Exile
2x Collective Brutality
4x Lingering Souls
4x Battle Screech
3x Liliana of the Veil
Lands:
4x Marsh Flats
4x Godless Shrine
4x Concealed Courtyard
2x Silent Clearing
2x Shambling Vent
3x Swamp
2x Plains
2x Ghost Quarter
So let's start from the core of the deck. The plan is to protect the Copter and gain incremental value while hindering our opponents'. To do so we use "smart" creatures:
Tidehollow Sculler takes removal spells or any key piece to the OP's plan directly from their hand, so that we can animate our Copter without worries;
Tithe Taker is especially good here for two reasons: it protects the Copter from instants, which is the only way to interact with it while animated, while also leaving behind a 1/1 flying body when killed
Giver of Runes is great in conjunction with the Sculler, not only protecting every other body on our side of the field but also helping keeping up the pressure;
Next, the card advantage:
Lingering Souls creates up to four bodies and the ability to flashback it for 1B plays really well with the looting ability of the Copter;
Battle Screech is basically Souls copies 5-8, just needs a little more work to flash it back.
Lastly, the interactions. The most important are Liliana of the Veil and Collective Brutality both let us discard value cards to gain incremental value. Inquisition of Kozilek, Fatal Push and Path to Exile to answer early threats quickly and efficiently.
I'll add some Matchups in a couple days. See you soon!